WESTBOROUGH, Mass., March 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- eXIthera Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on addressing bleeding complications associated with currently available antithrombotic agents through the targeted inhibition of coagulation Factor XIa, today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted its Investigational New Drug (IND) application to initiate a Phase 2 clinical trial for EP-7041, a parenteral, potent, and selective small-molecule inhibitor of coagulation Factor XIa. The IND application indicates EP-7041 is an investigational treatment for COVID-19, addressing the increased morbidity and mortality risk due to blood clot formation in patients who are critically ill with COVID-19.